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EPIC GAMES TO ADD GAMESPY SUPPORT TO UNREAL ENGINE 3

According to a post over at Kotaku, Epic Games has inked a deal with Gamespy to incorporate Gamespy’s online technology with Unreal Engine 3. Those of you wondering why you should care about this deal, Epic has confirmed that with the addition of Gamespy’s online technology, Unreal Tournament III will be able to support cross-platform gaming between the PlayStation 3 and PC platforms.

"BRISBANE, Calif. – August 15, 2007 – IGN Entertainment’s GameSpy, a leader in multiplayer and online gaming technology, and Epic Games today announced a licensing deal to incorporate GameSpy’s suite of online technology into Epic’s Unreal® Engine 3, one of the industry’s most popular game engines. Under the terms of the agreement, GameSpy will join Epic’s prestigious Integrated Partners Program, and its technology will be immediately available to any publishers or developers that license Unreal® Engine 3.

By incorporating GameSpy’s online technology into Unreal Engine 3, the two companies have created an integrated one-stop solution for game developers looking to leverage the world’s most advanced multi-player technology and game engine in one package. The partnership will span both the PC and PLAYSTATION®3 platforms within Unreal Engine 3, enabling seamless PLAYSTATION®3 and PC online functionality. Functionality available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees via Gamespy will include cross-platform gameplay, communication tools and competition applications." – Gamespy / Epic Games press release excerpt as reported at Kotaku

I mentioned in a previous article that the PS3 version of UT3 keeps looking better and better, and this little bit of news certainly continues that trend. Between the points I highlighted in that initial article, this announcement and recent statements by Epic Games VP Mark Rein regarding disc space issues with the Xbox 360 version, the choice to purchase the PS3 version over the 360’s is really beginning to look like a no-brainer.

Those of you looking to for the full text of yesterday’s press release should head over to Kotaku via the below link.

August 16, 2007 Posted by | Announcements, Cross-Platform, Epic Games, GameSpy, Unreal Engine, Unreal Tournament | Leave a comment

SHADOWRUN: CONTROLLERS VS KEYBOARDS

Gamerscore Blog, Microsoft’s in-house employee blog, has an interesting little tidbit that was revealed in an interview with Shadowrun Lead Designer John Howard regarding cross-platform play between the Xbox 360 and PC;

“In the interview, John gives an overview of the game, talks about the decision to go w/ action vs RPG genre, and dispels the myth that mouse/kb gamers are going to pwn controller gamers. He also mentions that in their existing testing, the controller boys are winning out against the Mouse/KB boys.” -Gamerscore Blog

Now I certainly would have thought in a shooter, the PC mouse/kb using players would have an edge, but I guess both the gameplay and design of Shadowrun is built to make it an evil playing field. Guess the PC guys are going to have to go and buy a Microsoft Xbox 360 wired controller or the 360 wireless controller and adapter. When you think about it that way, maybe it’s not that surprising after all. Check out the Gamerscore Blog entry here.

May 31, 2006 Posted by | Cross-Platform, Microsoft, PC Games, Xbox 360 | Leave a comment